Carbon dioxide ice machine



N. M. SMALL CARBON DIOXIDE ICE MACHINE June 14, 1932.

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CARBON DIOXIDE ICE MACHINE Filed Sept. 21, 1929 5 Sheets-$heet 5 Norman/M57172 attomq Patented June v14, 1932 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- NOBIAN I. SMALL, WAYNESBOBO, PENNSYLVANIA, ABSIGNOR TO ERICK. OOH- PANY, OF WAYN'EBBORO, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

CARBON DIOXIDE ICE MACHINE Application fled September 81, 1929. Serial No. 884,348.

This invention relates to machines for making carbon dioxide ice.

An object of the invention is to provide a machine for making carbon dioxide snow and compressing it into ice cakes.

A further object is to provide a machine of the character indicated above which will be simple and efiicient and which will eliminate heat losses to a greater extent than machines now in use.

Referring to the accompan ing drawings, which are made a part hereo and on which similar reference characters indicate similar parts,

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of the machine,

Figure 2 is a view in elevation, partly in section of a portion of the device showing one of the operating cylinders and ice maln'ng chamber,

Figure 3 is a view in elevation showing a lower operating cylinder, partly in section together with a portion of the ice making chamber,

Figure 4 is a view looking from the right in Fig. 2,

Figure 5 ure 2,

Figure 6 is a section on line 6-6 of Figure 3 Figure 7 is a section on line 7-4 of Figure 3,

Figure 8 is a. plan view of the lower head of the ice making cylinder,

Figure 9 is a section on line 99 of Figure 8,

Figure 10 is a plan view of the upper head of the ice making cylinder,

Figure 11 is a section on line lll1 of Fig. 10,

Figure 12 is a view of Fig. 11 as seen from line 12-12.

Figure 13 is a detail view showing the expansion nozzle.

In the drawings numerals 10 and 11 indicate cylinders having pistons 12 and 13 movable therein and numeral 14 indicates an ice making cylinder as a whole. The piston 12 is connected by a piston rod 15 to a head 16 is a section on line 55 of Figwhich closes the upper end of an ice makin chamber 17 within 1; e c linder 14. The hea 16 has a plate 18 space from it and secured to it by means of bolts 19. This plate 18 is adapted to rest within the walls of the chamber 17. The plates 16 and 18 have bores 20 and 21 opposite each other and a piston 22 is positioned in the bore 20 and is vertically adjustable by means of a screw 23. The lower end of the piston 22 when moved down enters the bore 21 so that the piston 22 may rest in and close off the bore 21 when desired by the operator.

Fluid conduits 24 and 25 are connected respectively to the upper and lower ends of the cylinder 10. These lines are connected by means of a valve 26 to fluid lines 2'? and 28. Line 28 is connected to the discharge side 0i a compressor and the line 27 ieads to a tank 29 connected to the suction side of the pump 30 which delivers pressure fluid to the line 28. A pipe 31 may connect pressure line 28 with the tank 29 through a pressure reiie f valve 32. The valve 26 is a four way valve of well-known construction which may be manually operated to connect the upper end of cylinder 10 with pressure line 28 and at the same time connect the lower end of the cylinder with exhaust line 27 to move the piston 12 downwardly and to hold the head 16 in engagement with an end of the ice making chamber 17. Fluid conduits 33 and 34 connect the lower and upper ends respectively of the cylinder 11 with pressure and exhaust fluid lines 28 and 27 through a manually operable four-way valve 35. This valve serves to deliver pressure fluid to the upper or lower sides of piston 13 to raise or lower this piston as desired. A piston rod 36 on the piston 13 passes up through the head 37 of the cylinder 11 and has on its upper end a piston 38 which moves in the chamber 17 The purpose of the piston 38 is to compress snow which forms in the chamber 17 into a block of ice in the upper end of the chamber 17. The cylinder 14 is suitably mounted upon a frame 39 which may be supported on I-beams 40 or other suitable supports which form the founda- 1 tion for the machine. The cylinder 14 is composed of outer and inner cylinder members 41 and 42 between which is placed heat insulating material 43.:

The 1ce forming chamber 17 is positioned withinthe inner cylinder 42. This chamber as here shown is substantially square in cross section and has its corners rounded to fit with in the cylindrical surface of the cylinder 42. The chamber 17 may be, as here shown, formed of separable units secured together by bolts 44 passing through flanges 45 on the separate halves of the unit. Pipes 46 connected to suitable sources of supply of CO under pressure lead to the interlor of the chamber 17 A plurality of such pipes is here shown but obviously the invention is not limited to any particular number or arrangement of such pipes.

The port 21 in the plate 18 forms communication between the interior of the chamber 17 and the space between the head 16 and the plate 18. This space is connected by means of a port 47 in the side of the chamber 17 and a pipe 48 is secured in the side of the cylinder 42 and connects to a suitable suction line for CO as which escapes from the ice making cham er during formation of the snow or ice in the chamber 17. The gas which passes out through the port 21 may fill the space 48 between the walls of the chamber 17 and themner cylindrical drum 42. Instead of having the pipes 46 enter the chamber 17 from the side as shown or in addition to these nozzles I may have them enter through the head as shown by ports 49. These latter ports are closed by screw plugs when not used.

In operation cold CO under pressure is led through pipe 46 and expanded into the chamber 17 where a portion of it forms into snow. Such of the CO as vaporizes without forming snow passes out through port 21 and port 47 and pipe 48 to the suction side of the compression system for the CO After expanding for some time the chamber 17 becomes filled, or at least partially filled with frozen CO in the form of snow. When the operator thinks the chamber is sufliciently filled with snow the valve 35 is manipulated to admit pressure fluid to the line 33 below the piston 13. This moves the piston 38 in the chamber 17 upward to compress CO snow into a cake of ice in the upper end of the chamber 17. At the same time pressure fluid is admitted by means of the four-way valve 26 to the pipe 24 to the upper side of the piston 12 to hold the head 16 against the upper end of the chamber 17. It should be noted that the surface area of the piston 12 is greater than that of the piston 13 so that the differences in pressure will always keep the head 16 tightly against the chamber 17 while pressure fluid is admitted through the pipe 33 to raise the snow compressing piston 38. While the snow is being compressed into an ice cake the piston is lowered by means of the screw 23 to close the port 21 to revent the snow from being squeezed outof t eport 21. When the snow has been compressed into an ice cake the valve 26 is turned to release pressure from the line 24 and connect this line with the exhaust line 27 and at the same time deliver pressure through the line 25 in the lower side of the piston 12 to raise the piston to move the head 16 away from the end of the cylinder 17 As the plate 18 on the head 16 moves out of the ice making chamber 17 it is followed by the cake of ice being forced out by the plun er 38. The plunger 38 moves to raise the lock of ice out of the chamber 17 at which time the block may be removed and the parts operated to position them to freeze another block of ice.

The piston 38 does not necessarily have a fluid tight fit within the chamber 17 Such gaseous CO therefore, as leaks past the piston is drawn off through a pipe 50 to the suction of the CO compressors. At some stages in the operation it may be necessary to warm up the cylinders to prevent freezing. Heatlng coils 51 are provided through which suitable heating fluld may be circulated.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes may be made in my device without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I, therefore, do not limit myself to what is shown in the drawings and described in the specification, but only as indicated in the appended claims.

Having thus described my said invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is":

1. A carbon dioxide ice machine comprising a chamber, an expansion nozzle projecting into the chamber, a head held against an end of the chamber, said head having a spaced plate extending within the chamber, a port in said plate, a plunger for closing said port and a piston movable in the other end of the chamber to compress snow in the chamber to compact it into a block of ice said piston serving also as an ejector for the block of ice when-the head is removed from the chamber, substantially as set forth.

2. In a carbon dioxide ice making system, a chamber, a nozzle extendin into said chamber for directing carbon dioxide into the chamber, ahead positioned to close one end of the chamber, a fluid cylinder, a piston in the cylinder, a piston rod connecting the said piston with the said head on the said chamber, fluid conduits for conducting and exhausting fluid from said cylinder to hold the said head in engagement with the end of the chamber or to move it therefrom, a second fluid cylinder of a smaller diameter than the first-named cylinder, a piston in said cylinder, a piston rod on said piston having a piston on its outer end movable in the Ill said chamber, means for conducting fluid to and exhausting it from said last-named cylinder to move the plunger to compress carbon dioxide snow into a cake of ice and to eject the" cake of ice when the said head is removed from the said chamber, and means for heating the cylinder to prevent it from freezing, substantially, as set forth.

3. A carbon dioxide ice machine compris- 1 ing a chamber substantially square in cross section, a cylindrical drum enclosing said chamber, a large drum enclosing the firstnamed'drum and having heat insulation separating it from the first named drum, a cover for said chamber having a plate substantially the size of the interior of the chamber extending Within the chamber, a port in said plate connecting the interior of said chamber with suction lines attached to ports in 2 the outer drum, means for expanding carbon dioxide into said chamber to form carbon dioxide snow, a piston for compressing the snow in said chamber into a block of ice, means for holding said head in en agement with the said chamber but movable rom said chamber to permit the piston to eject the block of ice, substantially as set forth.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Waynesboro, Pennsylvania this 31st day of August, A. D. nineteen hundred and twenty-nine.

NORMAN M. SMALL. 

